Glass 




Book i^3 l^ i^ 



/ 



EXERCISES 

Col 



HELD AT THE 



DEDICATION 



SOLDIERS' MONUMENT, 

MEMORIAL DAY, 1882. 

EASTON. MASS. 



WITH APPENDIX. 



EASTON: 



Printed at the Office of the Easton Joirnai., 
1882. 



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1 i 






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Preface, 



The following report of the exercises at the 
dedication of the Soldiers' Monument at Eas- 
ton, on Memorial Day, is 2iublishcd at the 
suggestion of citizens oMilPerent parts of the 
town. It was thought desirable that some 
permanent record of the proceedings of that 
occasion should be made. The monument 
committee have therefore taken the responsi- 
bility of this publication. 

At the town meeting of March, 1880, a com- 
mittee was chosen to consider the question of 
building a monument, or memorial hall. The 
committee chosen consisted of Dr. Geo. B. 
Cogswell, Geo. A. Lackc}'^, L. S. Drake, Oakes 
A. Ames and Joseph Barrows. At the March 
meeting, 1881, the committee reported in favor 



of erecting a monument. The town voted to 
erect it, and authorized the same committee to 
have entire charge of the work. The sum of 
five thousand dollars was voted to defray thfe 
expense of the monument. 

The particulars of the work may be found 
stated in the address of Mr. Barrows. At the 
March meeting of 1882, the sum of two hun- 
dred doUai's was voted to meet the expenses 
of Memorial Day, it being understood that the 
monument would be dedicated on that day. 

The monument committee asked the G. A. R. 
Post 52, of Easton, to appoint a committee to 
act in conjunction with them in arranging for 
the exercises. The committee selected were 
Wm. A. Linehan, George E. Smith and Wm. 
L. Chaffin. The programme was arranged by 
the two committees, acting together. 

Memorial Day was unusually pleasant, and 
would have been perfect but for a rather strong 
breeze. A platform had been erected in front 
of the town hall. 

This was occupied by members of the A. B. 
Randall l*ost, of Easton, and Post 'No. 13 



G. A. R., of Brockton, and by the speakers 
and singers. Martland's Band, of Brockton, 
occupied a position at the right of the plat- 
form. Seats were arranged in front in a semi- 
circle. On the outside of the audience were 
over two hundred carriages filled with people, 
there being in the entire assembly about two 
thousand persons. Excellent order prevailed 
throughout the exercises, and nothing occurred 
to disturb the interest of the occasion. Fol- 
lowing this are the various exercises in their 
order. 



Prayer, 



BY KEV. "W. H. DOWUEN. 



Our Father which art in Heaven, be pleased 
to be with us in the solemn exercises of this 
occasion. Inspire our thoughts with the spirit 
of an enlarged humanity, and fraternal affec- 
tion which becomes such an hour as this. 

We dedicate this monument to the memory 
of those who gave their lives for theii- country. 
We dedicate it to the interest of freedom in 
this land, and throughout the world. 

Bless, to-day, every surviving soldier of the 
republic. Be Thou near, with the special 
ministrations of Thy love, to the widow and 
the fatherless, and all who in any way have 
suffered by the ravages of the war. Bless 
Th}^ servants who shall speak to us on this 
occasion. May their words be words of wis- 
dom, so that henceforth we shall have a 
stronger love for our country. This we ask 
in our Father's name. Amen. 



Singing, 



BY THE GILBERT QUARTETTE. 

J. HoRACi; Willis, First Tenor. George E. Russell, First Bass. 
Isaac Littlefield, Second Tenor. Edward S. Powers, Second Bass. 



"I CANNOT ALWAYS TRACE THE WAY. 
Music by Howard M. Dow. 

1 cannot always trace the way 

Where Thou, Almighty One, dost move. 
But I can always, alwa^'s sa}' 

Tliat God is Love. 

Yes, God is Love, — a word like this 
Can every gloomy thought remove, 

And turn all tears, all woes to bliss. 
For God is Love. 



Introductory Remarks, 

BY DR. GEO. B. COGSWELL, PRESIDENT OK THE DAT. 

Comrades and Friends: — 

Does it not seem as if, after the long suc- 
cession of cold, dreary storms, ISTatm^e had 
made one mighty eftbrt to make this day 
perfect for the completion of onr work ? On 
this day, when, throughout our land, the 
loyal soldiers are observing the beautiful cus- 
tom of strewing flowers and planting flftgs 
on the graves of their departed comrades, 
we have met here to dedicate, with appro- 
priate words and song, this tasteful tribute, 
erected by you in memory and in honor of 
those brave men who went forth from this 
town, and laid down their lives that the 
Union might stand, and that we might live 
and enjoy the comforts and beautiful homes 
which we now possess. In what condition 



10 

would this country be to-day had not these 
brave men, with thousands of others, to whom 
we said, 

" Our hearts, our hopes, are all with thee, 
Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers, our tears, 
Our faith, triumphant o'er our fears. 
Are all with thee — are all with thee," ' 

— in what condition would we be to-day, had 
not these brave men risked their lives on the 
field of battle? We should be living in 
anarchy and chaos. Do you feel that, in 
spending a few dollars to erect this beautiful 
shaft to their memory, you have done too 
much for those Avho did so much for you 
and for those who will come after you ? 

Citizens of Easton : you have done a gener- 
ous deed, and I know that you will feel proud 
of the act. Some may even now censure and 
condemn; but was the erection of Bunker 
Hill monument a piece of folly? What would 
there be to keep the names of our dead heroes 
fi-esh in the minds of generations to come, 
were it not for some such imperishable tablet 
as this? 



11 

For what you have done in erecting this 
monument, which I can assure you will com- 
pare favorably with any soldiers' monument, 
you have the hearty and sincere thanks, not 
only of every soldier of this town, but of those 
throughout the whole country. You will have 
the blessing of every loving relative of those 
whose names are inscribed upon its sides ; and 
who can tell but that the spirits of those whom 
we have thus honored are now hovering about 
us, singing peans of praise for your thought- 
fulness and generosity ? 

" It is a beautiful belief, 

Tiiat, ever round our head, 
Are hovering, on angels' wings. 
The spirits of the dead." 



Music. 

BY MARTLAND'S band, OF BROCKTON. 



12 

"Speed our Republic," 

(" American Hymn." — Keller.) 
BY THE GILBERT QUARTETTE. 

Speed our Republic, O Father on High ! 

Lead us the path\va3's of justice and right ; 
Rulers as well as the ruled, one and all, 

Girdle with virtue the armor of might. 

Hail three times three to our country and flag. 

Foremost iu battle for freedom to stand, 
Rush we to arms when aroused by his call ; 

Still as of yore when George Washington led. 
Thunders our war-cry — we conquer or fall I 
Hail three times three, etc. 

Faithfnl and honest to friend and to foe, 

Willing to die in humanity's cause ; 
Thus we defy all tyrannical power, 

While we contend for our Union and laws. 
Hail three times three, etc. 

Rise up, proud eagle ! rise up to the skies, 

Spread thy broad wings o'er this fair Western world ; 

Fling from thy beak our dear Banner of old ; 
Show that it still is for Freedom unfurled ! 

Hail three times three for our country and flag ! 



13 



Historical Address. 

BY JOSEPH BARROWS, ESQ. 

Mr. President and Fellotv- Citizens : — 

It is finished. A duty has been performed. 
A monument has been built; and we have as- 
sembled to-day to dedicate it to the memory of 
our townsmen who died for their country in 
the war which destroyed slavery and preserved 
the Union. 

When we dedicate a monument, we dedicate 
a good deal more than a block of granite, a 
good deal more than lines of artistic beauty, a 
good deal more than a thing for idle curiosity. 
It has a higher significance, a nobler purpose, 
a grander aim. It is a grateful tribute of the 
living to the tranquil memory of the dead. 

This monument bears the names of forty- 
seven of our townsmen, who, at their country's 



14 



call, went forth to battle and to death, that the 
nation might live. They are numbered with 
the unreturning brave. They have made the 
greatest sacrifice that man can make, and have 
passed the praise of mortal men. 

"On Fame's eternal camping ground 
Their silent tents are spread ; 
And Glory guards, with solemn round, 
The bivouac of the dead." 

When rebellious hands were raised against 
the government, in April, 18G1, when the 
rebels fired upon Fort Sumter, and marshalled 
their forces to disrupt the Union, there was 
such an uprising of the j^cople in the free 
States as the world never before witnessed. 

A fearful war of vast magnitude ensued. 
The cause of the war had been growing almost 
from the earliest settlempnt of the country. 
The few slaves, not exceeding twenty, that 
were landed and sold in Jamestown in 1620, 
had increased by the slave trade and procrea- 
tion to a vast multitude of nearly four millions. 

The slave-holders demanded that slavery 



15 



should be the domhiaiit power in the govern- 
ment of the country — that shivery should have 
free course to extend its baneful influence into 
free territory. 

A strong opposition arose in the free States, 
not only against the extension of slavery, but 
against slavery itself. Garrison, Sumner, Wil- 
son, Parker, and Phillips were using a mighty 
influence, and leading on their cohorts against 
slavery and preparing the people for extreme 
measures. Anti-slavery sentiment was planted 
in Easton at an early date by the intelligent 
and patriotic efforts of Caleb Swan, Nathaniel 
Guild, Lewis "Williams, Martin Wild, Lucius 
Howard, and others. Anti-slavery sentiment 
was very strong in the town at the commence- 
ment of the civil war. 

Upon the first election of Abraham Lincoln 
to the presidency, the South determined to 
withdraw from the Union. Now the contest 
commenced with terrible earnestness. Pe- 
peated calls were made by the President for 
men and money to carry on the war and sub- 
due the rebellion. 



16 



Easton had long been noted for its military 
fervor; and there was at this time a military 
company, commanded by Capt. Milo M. Wil- 
liams, in town, known as Company B of the 
4:th Kegiment of Massachusetts Yolunteer 
MiUtia. 

A call was made by Governor Andrew for 
troops. This company received orders at 8 
o'clock p. M. to report to headquarters in Bos- 
ton. The next morning the company so re- 
ported, with other companies of their regiment. 

After a very brief preparation, the next day 
the regiment was sent to Fortress Monroe, 
where it remained three months, doing good 
service, when it returned and was disbanded, 
and its members enlisted into other military 
organizations. 

The magnitude of the contest will be partly 
realized by the fact that the aggregate number 
of men upon the. Union side alone, under the 
various calls, amounted by official records to 
2,688,523. Of these Massachusetts fui-nished 
151,785. 

Xo wonder the mighty movements, gigantic 



17 

battles, and fearful slaug-hter that shook and 
crimsoned the earth, astonished the world. 

A town meeting was called, and the work 
commenced of res^^onding to the calls of the 
government with resolnte determination. 

Being upon the board of selectmen at that 
time, and during the war, a large share of the 
operations of the town in military matters 
passed under my observation. 

The first warrant for a war town-meeting 
was prefaced by a stirring preamble. Our 
people responded with alacrity. At this meet- 
ing it was plainly seen and felt that the long- 
impending crisis had come; that the irrepressi- 
ble conflict must be met; and that measures 
must be taken to perform our whole duty. It 
was voted to pay liberally those Avho went to 
the war. Earnest appeal was made, not in 
vain, to the patriotism of our citizens, as the 
large number of our dead and wounded amply 
testifies. 

Our town, though only a geographical atom 
in the vast expanse of the country, performed 
its duty. It furnished three hundred and 



18 

thirty-four men for the army and navy, and 
expended more than forty thousand doUars for 
war purposes, besides large subscrijDtions by 
its citizens in money, and lai-ge contributions 
for camp and hospital stores. 

Our heroic townsmen were found at the 
post of duty; they bore our flag aloft on many 
battle-fields, in the thickest of the fight — from 
Port Hudson to Gettysburg, from Fredericks- 
burg to Chattanooga. 

They died in battle, they died in hospitals, 
they died in rebel prisons; and, while their 
forms moulder back to primal earth, we will 
keep theii' memory green. 

But we have the proud satisfaction of know- 
ing that our townsmen fell not in vain; and if 
we measure the value of their services by the 
results which they helped to achieve — the sup- 
pression of the rebellion, the abolition of sla- 
very, the integrity of the national domain, the 
extinction of the principle of state sovereignty 
— we may well place their names high in the 
niche of honor and fame. 

They were our friends and neighbors; they 



19 



walked these streets with us in the busy in- 
dustries of Hfe, and took sweet counsel to- 
gether. 

Well may we decorate their graves, cherish 
their memory, and point to this enduring mon- 
ument with pride and satisfaction. It looks, 
it speaks, it acts to the full compehension of 
every American mind, and the awakening of 
glowing enthusiasm in every American heart. 
As patriots they have toiled, and, in their 
country's cause, bled nobly, and their deeds, 
as they deserve, receive j)roud recompense. 

I will call the roll of their names, but no re- 
sponse will be made. Thc}^ have passed on, 
respected and beloved bj- those who knew 
their noble and manly qualities, to 

" That undiscovered country from whose bourne 
No traveller returns." 

THE ROLL. 

Capt. Ansel B, Randall. Samuel H. Gilmore. 

Lieut. Aluert Tilden. Edward W. Hansel. 

Mason A. Hill, Charles H. Willis. 

Thomas Duffy. Minot E. Phillips. 

John Goulding. Theodore Mitchell. 



20 



Peleg F. Randall. 
Setii Ramsdell. 
Addison A. Lothrop. 
Cornelius Slatterv. 
John D. Haney. 
Martin Cunningham. 
HosEA S. Packard. 
Patrick McCourt. 
Michael E. Roach. 
John Duffv. 
Setii T. Dunbar. 
J. Manley Tinkham. 
Charles L. Britton, Jr. 
Daniel Donovan. 
Richard Seavers. 
James McCullough. 
Charles Bellows. 
James A. Humphrey. 

Jason F, 



PiiiNEAs A. Randall. 
]Major Crockett. 
Henry T. Drew. 
John Mullen. 
John Phillips. 
Michael Milleric. 
Calvin A. Marshall. 
George H. Davis. 
Benjamin Boodry. 
John Randall. 
William A. Lothrop. 
George A. Tilden. 
William M. Packard. 
John Richards. 
E. Granville Howaiid. 
Franklin Godfrey. 
H. Frank Pool. 
Charles S. Torrey. 
Eli)KED(;e. 



A large nuinber for this town of less than 
ibnr thonsand inhabitants, — enough for a 
military company. 

These are our heroes : 

'• They are on the roll of glory." 

But our heroes are not all dead heroes. 
And while we honor the memory of those 



21 



who died, let us -not be unmindfal of the liv- 
ing — of those who, animated by the same 
patriotic impulse, went to the same war, per- 
formed the same duty, endured the same 
hardships, braved the same perils, and re- 
turned unharmed, or with honorable wounds. 

oSTeither let us forget the widows and or- 
phans who stand with us here to-day and gaze 
upon this scene with mournful interest. Their 
homes are darkened, their hearts are sad- 
dened by the bereavements of the war. 

To carry on the war, the State paid boun- 
ties, the town paid bounties, which, with 
private bounties, amounted at one time to 
more than eight hundred dollars per man. 
Some of our patriotic citizens put men into 
the field at their own expense. In one in- 
stance, the ladies at their expense placed a 
soldier in the army. 

The national debt at this time assumed 
frightful proportions, amounting to nearly 
three hundred million dollars, besides the vast 
indebtedness of individual States, cities and 
towns. 



22 

Much labor and care were required to attend 
to the wants of the soldiers and their fomilies, 
and this service was often of a painful nature. 

I recall one instance of a cheerful nature. 
A soldier's wife came to me in joyful mood, 
and said she had heard from her husband in 
the army, and that he had got an office. I 
asked what office. She said it was a general 
or a corporal, and she had forgotten which. 

Meantime the war went on with its crush- 
ing effects, — sometimes, with disaster to the 
Federal arms, and sometimes, with success ; 
but gradually reaching a just conclusion. 

The nnfriendly attitude of England toward 
our country at this time prolonged the war 
more than a year. Her direct and indirect 
action nearly swept our commerce from the 
ocean, whilst the shout went up through all 
the palaces of Europe that the great republic 
was no more. These were services which no 
amount of duty requires us to entirely forget. 

Finally the rebel armies w^ere crushed; vic- 
tory was achieved; the rebellion was sup- 
pressed ; the Union was preserved ; and now 



23 



we are a free and powerful nation of more 
thai! fifty millions of people, with a magnifi- 
cent future before us. 

" Long years of peaf^e have stilled the battle's thunder ; 
AYild grasses quiver where tlie fight was won." 

At the close of the w^ar, an earnest desire 
existed in town for a Soldiers' Monument, or 
some appropriate memorial to commemorate 
our fallen towmsmen. 

The State had passed a law authorizing 
towns to raise and appropriate money for that 
purpose. 

For sixteen years the object was steadily 
kept in view, and persistently urged. At last 
a favorable opportunity arrived, and after 
much labor and consideration the result is 
before you. The funds necessary to obtain 
the monument were raised and appropriated 
by the town. 

It is gratifying to the Committee, chosen to 
procure a Soldiers' Monument, to know that 
their labors are appreciated, and that the town 
has a beautiful monument in memory of her. 
heroic dead, at a cost of five thousand dollars. 



24 

And now, in behalf of the Executive Com- 
mittee, I commit this monument to the author- 
ities of the town, trusting- that it will be 
honored and preserved, — that it will stand 
for centuries and centuries. And while the 
ages and the ages roll on, and future genera- 
tions pass in review before it, it will be a noble 
inspiration, an abiding benediction. 

Let the laiu-el and the cypress entwine at 
its base, iind amaranthine flowers crown its 
summit. 

, " Long may it stand and every blast def}-, 

Till Time's last whirlwind sweeps the vaulted sky." 



Music by Band. 



Dedication Hymn. 

(Tune, "Old Hundred.") 
WRITTEN BY O. R. BALLARD. 

This central spot, where church-spires rise, 
And heav'n-ward point our longing e3'es ; 
Which marks the parting of the ways. 
We consecrate with prayer and praise. 



25 



We dedicate, with rites sincere, 
This Monumeut, erected here 
In mem'ry of the men who gave 
Their lives, the Nation's life to save. 

We ask Our Father's blessing now, 
While in His presence here we bow ; 
And supplicate His care divine, 
To keep unharmed this sacred shrine. 

Its teachings ma}' we all discern. 
And their inspiring wisdom learn ; 
And may they every heart impress 
AVith Loyalty and Righteousness. 

May coming generations own 
The wisdom by its builders shown ; 
And in this speaking column find 
Their best ideals all enshrined. 

While faith and hope in union blend, 
To all, assurance may it lend. 
And prove a beacon, kindly given 
To o-uide each trusting heart to Heaven. 



26 



Oration. 



BY KEV. WM. L. CHAFFIN. 



Mr. President, Comrades, Ladies and Gentlemen : — 

So vivid in many of our minds are the 
thrilling- recollections of the war of the rebell- 
ion, that it excites a feeling of surprise to be 
reminded that twenty-one years have passed 
away since that memorable struggle began. 
Young men are with us here who have 
reached their majority, and will this year 
exercise the right of suffrage, whose eyes had 
not beheld the light of day when that great 
conflict opened. Long since, God be praised! 
the roar of cannon, the murderous rattle of 
musketry, and the clash of opposing arms 
gave place to the shouts of victory and the 
busy hum of reviving industry. The mo- 
mentous events and the passionate or solemn 
excitements of that time, which were personal 



27 

experiences to many of us, to others are 
known only as recorded history or repeated 
tradition. 

For the sake of those who were too young 
to understand or take pai-t in those scenes, 
and that all our hearts may be stirred with the 
feelings appropriate to this occasion, let us, as 
well as w^e are able, revive the memories and 
reproduce the spirit that animated us in that 
grave crisis of our nation's history. Let us 
not, however, rekindle any of the old sectional 
animosities. On this day of tender and solemn 
recollection all such feelings should be forgot- 
ten, and we should do justice to those who, 
if then our foes, were foes worthy of our steel, 
and are to-day our countrymen and our 
brothers. 

The southern half of our country was a 
slave-holding community. Nearly four mill- 
ions of human beings were held in bondage. 
Their masters, inheriting this institution from 
their fathers, reconciled to it by custom, and 
committed to it not onh^ by self-interest, but, 
as they believed, by the force of circum- 



28 

stances, had come to regard it as a justifiable 
necessity. It was natural, therefore, that they 
should look with alarm upon the growing 
opposition to it manifest in the iS^orth. They 
clearly saw, what was but dimly apprehended 
here, that if the two sections continued to live 
under the same flag, this irrepressible conflict 
must lead to open strife. Hence they favored 
secession. They claimed the right of States 
to withdraw from the Union and establish 
independent governments of their own. From 
their point of view they were wise and far- 
sighted, for thus alone could they hope to 
preserve their institution from the antagonism 
of northern sentiment. And when that senti- 
ment, intensified by the notable events of that 
period, became a great ground-swell of popu- 
lar indignation that lifted Abraham Lincoln 
to the presidential chair, they knew that then, 
if ever, their hour had come. Wise in nearly 
everything, they made the great mistake of 
counting upon suflScient aid and sympathy 
from the ]^orth to cripple the government 
and secure their end. But the famous ora- 



29 



tions of Webster, elaborating the idea and 
proving the necessity of the Union, and the 
example of Jackson, setting his heel npon 
nnllification, had nourished a Union sentiment 
which defeated such a hope. 

For the moment, however, the Korth seemed 
to justify such an expectation. Though the 
government forts and arsenals, war-ships and 
military stores, and the sub-treasury at ]N^ew 
Orleans are seized, nothing is done ; we stand 
paralyzed ; the magnitude of the crisis is not 
imderstood. 

But the th under of cannon in Charleston 
harbor rouses us from our lethargj^ The 
stars and stripes, our country's beloved ern- 
blem, is fired upon by disloyal sons who have 
lived under its protecting folds. It is a chal- 
lenge to our patriotism and manhood which 
we cannot refuse. From Washington, in this 
hour of peril, comes the call for seventy-five 
thousand volunteers ; and the conflict has now 
begun. In city, town and village, war-drums 
are beating and national flags are flying. 
Men are crowding to the recruiting-places. 



30 



Companies are hastily organized and equipped. 
Massachusetts, foremost in the hour of need, 
sends off the gallant Sixth Regiment, and our 
hearts are fired with excitement as the intelli- 
gence flashes over the wires that they are 
assailed, and their blood is flowing in the 
streets of Baltimore. Then the scholar drops 
his books, the clerk his pen, the mechanic his 
apron and tools, and seizes the sword and 
musket in their stead. Sad and hurried are 
the partings. Trembling, and yet proud to 
have them go, women keep back their tears 
and bid God speed to these husbands, sons 
and brothers w^hom they may never see again. 
. And when these are at the front, w ith what 
eagerness do we watch the papers and the 
mails. Imagination is busy, day and night, 
with painful conjecture. Sometimes, even 
here, we are made aware that a battle is in 
progress, — that far away, at that instant, 
cannon are thundering, sw^ords are clashing, 
men are dying, and in hushed and solemn 
suspense we wait for the tidings of victory or 
defeat. Our hearts are w^ith these brave 



31 



friends in their lonely picket duty at night, 
in their forced marches under the burning 
sun, in the strife and carnage of battle-fields, 
where bayonets glitter and bullets and burst- 
ing shell are reaping a harvest of death ; and 
at night, when the din and clamor of the fight 
are over, and all else is still, we hear the 
groans of the dying, and see hundreds of 
white faces, upturned to the silent stars, silent 
as they. 

Here at home what lives of painful anxiety 
lest the worst may befall our absent ones; 
what fervent prayers in the churches and about 
the home altars ; what devoted labors in 
the aid societies; and with what trembling 
eagerness the long lists of dead and dying are 
scanned, and how many, alas ! read in them the 
ruin of their fondest hopes and jo^^s ! These 
are some of the scenes and excitements we 
lived in during the four years of deadly strife 
that ended in victory for Union and Liberty. 

But when we consider the thousands of 
precious lives that were lost, the hearts and 
homes so sadly bei'caved, and the millions of 



32 



treasure expended, it is natural to ask, How 
can we justify ourselves in this stupendous 
cost? Our answer is, Time will heal the wounds 
and repair the evils of that crisis, but the bless- 
ings secured by it will be perpetual. Even in 
the ordinary course of natui-e, death and be- 
reavement would sooner or later come to all; 
and sufferers by the deaths and bereavements 
of the war may be consoled by the reflection 
that the common good has been furthered by 
this sacrifice. 

1. First of all, the question of secession is 
settled. Plausible as secession is in theory, it 
would be ruinous in practice. It would have 
divided North and South into antagonistic na- 
tions, and have run a hostile border line from 
East to West. Its success would be an ex- 
ample other sections might follow, would dis- 
member our republic and establish upon this 
continent, as in Europe, rival nations with 
standing armies and continual strife. That 
danger is now destroyed, for it is hardly con- 
ceivable that so formidable and promising an 
attempt as the one now so signally defeated 
can ever again be made. 



33 

2. The second result of the war seems, 
even now, like a miracle of Divine Providence 
— the destruction of the institution of slavery, 
the emancipation of lour millions of human 
beings from the yoke of bondage. The stain 
upon our flag, which made our boasting of lib- 
erty a hollo w" mockery, is washed out in blood. 
The chief cause of contention between the 
sections, which imperilled oiu* very existence 
as a nation, is done away. Evils engendered 
by it may long abide; sectional animosities will 
linger for awhile; but, now that their exciting 
cause is gone, time will gradually heal them 
all. 

3. And this ensures for us, as the third re- 
sult of that civil strife, a united country, a 
Union in fact as well as in name. It may not 
seem so to-day, but it is sure to come. The 
interests of I^orth and South are no longer 
antagonistic as they once were, and as, but for 
the war, they would continue to be. Even the 
memories of the war will not long divide us. 
In fact, the soldiers of JSTorth and South, the 
" Blue and the Gray," learned to respect each 



34 



other upon the battle-field, where they showed 
an equal valor and courage. The time is soon 
coming when the old issues and animosities 
will be forgotten and we shall be, what we 
never yet have been, a united people, with 
common interests, a common history, and a 
common destiny. 

We are here to-day, fellow-citizens of Easton, 
to dedicate this monument to the memory of 
those who died to achieve these glorious re- 
sults. It is a memorial worthy of the object 
for which it has been erected. Built of our 
native New England granite, it well symbol- 
izes the sturdy qualities in honor of which we 
rear it. Other fitting memorials might have 
been adopted, but since they were not sug- 
gested at the meeting where this was chosen, 
and since this is now an accomplished fact, all 
criticism of this choice becomes as ungracious 
as it is unavailing. If there are any regrets 
concerning the character or location of this 
memorial, or if any of us have been actuated 
by unworthy motives, may all such regrets and 
motives be absorbed in the sacred feelings 



35 



alone appropriate to this hour. Let every 
personal motive, let family fame and town 
pride,. give place to the sentiments of gratitude 
and honor due to those who died that the 
nation might live. Let us take no credit to 
ourselves in this work. At best it is but an 
act of tardy justice; and what is the paltry 
tax we pay for this work compared to the lives 
that these fallen heroes have given for us. 
Looking upon this noble monument thus, it 
will be for us a perpetual reminder of the loy- 
alty and self-sacrifice of many whom we have 
known and loved. 'Not only will it be a memo- 
rial of the heroism of the dead, it will also be 
an inspirer of patriotism in the living. Each 
generation, as it comes forward upon the scene 
of life, will gaze with reverent and affectionate 
regard upon this sculptured stone. The 
gathering mosses of the passing years will 
give it a venerableness in their eyes. Those 
names inscribed upon it will prompt to inter- 
ested inquiry concerning the brave men who 
bore them, the deeds they performed, the his- 
tory and meaning of the conflict in which they 



36 



died. Pelted by winter storms and smitten 
by summer suns, unheeding all the political 
changes that time shall imfold, it will firmly 
stand as an educating, inspiring symbol, quick- 
ening in the hearts of those who look upon it 
the sentiments of patriotism, loyalty and liberty, 
which it will not cease to commemorate. 

Here, to-day, fellow-citizens, we join in this 
act of honoring remembrance which our fallen 
heroes so richly deserved. We need not 
claim for them more than is their due. They 
w^ere imperfect men like ourselves, of every 
shade of character, of every variety of motive. 
But it is enough that they died for their 
country. They were our fathers, sons and 
brothers ; they were our countrymen and 
townsmen. They toiled on the march, lan- 
guished in hospital and prison, fought on the 
field, helped save the nation, were martyrs for 
Liberty and Union, and have put us under a 
debt of gratitude we can never repay. 

This monument is raised in honor of true 
lieroism, and should be for us an inspirer of 
heroism. It was a question at first if we should 



37 



bravely face the foe. We Avere taunted with 
being a nation of mechanics, clerks, and shop- 
keepers, who would quail before the perils o 
the battle-field. But well-fought fields from 
Pennsylvania to Texas soon attested the fact 
that the heroic age was not a thing of the past. 
Those four years witnessed as brave deeds as 
any that history records of the olden time. 
Look at some of them. See heroic Keynolds 
fall at Gettysburg, pierced through the neck 
with a bullet, and, though his life-blood is 
quickly flowing, undaunted by death, throw^- 
ing all his strength into that final order which 
thrilled the hearts of his soldiers, " Forward, 
for God's sake, forward!" There is Grant, 
our great commander, at Corinth, careless of 
shot and shell, galloping bareheaded from one 
division to another in that desperate struggle, 
and saving the day by his heroic exertions; 
Captain Coles at Bull Run, planting our flag- 
fifty paces in front of the line, and upon a 
height that is swept by a storm of bullets; 
Sheridan at Winchester, most cheeiful and 
confident in the forefront of danger, where he 



38 



organizes victory out of defeat; Farragut, in 
the rigging of his vessel in Mobile Bay, while 
torpedoes are bursthig and the vessels begin- 
ning to quail before the tremendous fire of 
the forts, shouting, " Go ahead, at full speed"; 
and John Burns at Gettysburg, seventy years 
old, his tall white hat and long blue coat seen 
always in the battle's front, three times w^ound- 
ed but fighting still, until, wounded a fourth 
time, he is trampled under the feet of advanc- 
inof rebels. These are some of the heroic deeds 
of our war that stand out vividly in our recol- 
lections. But who shall repeat" and preserve 
the memory of the deeds of unrecorded hero- 
ism that marked that brave time V Who 
knows but some of those whom we this day 
honor may have shown a courage equal to that 
of the conspicuous heroes of the war, — have 
performed deeds of as desperate valor, and 
have borne as nobly the hardships, sickness 
and wounds, that are the truest tests of man- 
liness and courage? 

And while this monument perpetuates the 
memory of their example, may it be to us an 



39 



inspire!' of patriotism, the love of country. 
This is one of the best sentiments that can 
animate the soul, expanding our thoughts and 
feelings beyond all narrow interests so that 
they may include our Avhole native land. 

Breathes there the man, with soul so dead, 
Who never to himself hath said 
This is my own, ni}' native land ! 
Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned. 
As home his footsteps he hath turned 
From wandering on a foreign strand? 
If such there breathe, go, mark him well ; 
For him no Minstrel raptures swell ; • 
High though his titles, proud his name, 
Boundless his wealth as wish could claim ; 
Despite those titles, power, and pelf, 
Tlie wretch, concentred all in self, 
Living, shall forfeit fair renown. 
And, doubly dying, shall go down 
To the A'ile dust, from whence he sprung, 
Unwept, unhouored, and unsung. 

We Americans have a country of which 
we may well be proud; proud of its majestic 
scenery, proud of its history, and of its institu- 
tions. All nations have, it is true, their his- 



40 

toric humiliations and their present defects and 
sins. We have ours; but no cleaner flag can 
be unfolded to the breezes of heaven than our 
glorious stars and stripes, and that man's heart 
is not sound within him, who, born beneath its 
folds and living under its protection, can look 
upon it with no thi'ob of loyal and enthusiastic 
aifection. We deeply honor those brave men 
who went out fi'om us and gave their lives 
that this flag we love — not one star lost from 
its azure field — might be kept flying over all 
our land. Let us learn well the lesson of their 
patriotic example, and nobly live for the coun- 
try for which they were not unwilling to die. 
Men and women of Easton : we are eno-ao^- 
ing in services of honored memory of the dead. 
Let us not forget that honor is also due the 
living. You see here, in these members-of the 
Grand Arm}^, a remnant of those who bravely 
saved their country in the war of the rebellion. 
Others are here in this assembly not enrolled 
as members of this Post. These, thank God ! 
are living, our returned soldiers. Do not for- 
get what you owe to them. They faced all the 



41 

chances of war as courageously as those who 
did not return. They were in camj) and field, 
in hospital and prison. Some have returned 
with honorable scars, some with broken health, 
and all of them with a record of honorable ser- 
vice of which Easton may well be proud. Be 
grateful for their great services to the country, 
and see to it that, in the hour of their need, 
should such hour come, they shall not be for- 
gotten. 

And others are here who are as truly mar- 
tyrs for the common cause as those who per- 
ished in field and hospital. Thousands of 
tongues are to-day praising the heroism and 
self-sacrifice of the soldier, — and they will not 
too highly praise. But what tongue is elo- 
quent enough to inspire us with the tender 
sympathy and the reverent honor with which 
we should regard the lingering sorrow, loss 
and agony of the wives and kindred so sadly 
bereft by the death of those they loved? This 
is a living martyrdom often more painful, as it 
is more lasting, than the martyrdom of the 
dying. Let those who have thus borne and 



42 



still bear these sacrifices be gratefully and 
feelingly remembered here. And should the 
hour of need ever come to them, let us regard 
as a privilege what will then be our duty, to 
lend them a generously helping hand. Honors 
to the dead are an empty mockery if they take 
the place of the duty we owe the living. 



" Shall we meet beyond the River ? " 

Music arranged by Gilbert. 
SUXG BY THE GILBERT QUARTETTE. 

Shall we meet bej'ond the river, 

Where the surges cease to roll ? 
Where, in all the bright Forever, 

Sorrow ne'er shall press the soul? 

Chorus. — Shall we meet, shall we meet, 

Shall we meet beyond the River? 
Shall we meet be3'ond the River, 
Where the surges cease to roll ? 

Shall we meet in that blest harbor. 

When our stormy voyage is o'er? 
Shall we meet and cast the anchor 

By the fiiir, celestial shore? — Chorus. 



43 



Shall we meet in yonder city, 

Where the tow'rs of crystal shine? 

Where the walls are all of jasper, 

Built by workmanship d'iv'me?— Chords. 



Memorial Poem. 

BY C. R. BALLARD. 

Jin Plcmorrr 

— Saith the Monument — 

In Memory of our Soldiers Brave 
Who willingly to Battle went 

And Died the Nation's Life to Save. 



'Tis well, this spot to consecrate, 

And bnild hereon this graceful Shrine ; 

AVhere pilgrim-travelers may wait, 
And homage pay, almost divine. 

'Tis well, this granite shaft to raise, 
And crown it with the statue bold — 

A fit Memorial, in praise 

Of those whose names are here enrolled. 

'Tis well, with choicest words and pure. 
To Dedicate this Shrine to-day, — 

Whose firm foundation shall endure 

While passes many a " Flowery May" : 



44 



Whose graceful shaft, with taste designed, 
And wrouglit with Skill's untiring hand, 

A INIonument of Art refined 

Tlirouglionl unnumbered years shall stand 

Whose statue, life-like, — fineh' wrought. — 
Heroic, — of commanding height, — 

Fit type shall prove of those who fought 
And Died for Country and The Right ! 

Ah ! yes — 'lis well to do all this ; 

And Easton had ungrateful proved, 
And been in duty quite remiss. 

Had she forootten those she loved. 



ir. 



And 3'et, no Monument they need ! 

The Records of their Deeds are found — 
So plain that he who runs may read — 

E'en to our Country's farthest bound ! 

This Nation, lately rent with strife, 

Now freed from Slavery's galling chain, 

Which threatened to destroy its life. 
Ere half its dajs it should attain : 

These homes, — and sweet is the release ! — 
Of War's alarms no more in fear ! 

Each one the shrine of smiling Peace, 
Whose Anael ever hovers near : 



45 



This goodly Land, where, far and wide, 
Prosperity's sure signs abound : 

Where Plenty's ever rising tide 
Rare gifts deposits all around : 

Where Industry, with patience joined. 
In shop, or mill, or sterile soil, 

Finds muscle into dollars coined — 
The rich rewards of honest Toil : 

Where Science, with her magic charm, 
Augments, tenfold, man's native skill ; 

And in the shop or on the farm, 
Obedient, does his slightest will : 

Where Learning, never wearied, solves 
Grand problems, both of Life and Mind 

Whose right solution oft involves 
The weal or woe of all mankind : 

Where pure Religion, Heavenly guest, 
Would gladly act her saving part ; 

And, with her' mission all confessed. 
Would find a shrine in every heart : — 

All these — and more I need not name, 
Where none are found to speak dissent - 

All these the soldiers well may claim 
To be their fitting Monument. 



•40 



III. 

" Why build it, then ? " methinks 3-011 sa}- — 
'• Thiie wasted ! money vainly spent ! " 

'My answer, this — Not they, not they, 
But we, tve need this Monument ! 

Need it, t' impress us with this thought, 
Which we should entertain for a^e — 

At what a fearful cost were bought 
The blessings we enjoy to-day ! 

Need it, to help us bear in mind 
The frightful sacrifice we made, 

Of treasure, blood and life combined. 

Ere Civil War's dread course was stayed ! 

Need it, to warn us, lest again 

Some heinous sin we tolerate, 
Whose poison shall require more men, 

More treasure, to eradicate. 

Need it, lest that " Twin Relic ", left, 
"Of Barbarism" shall foot-hold gain, 

So firm that we, of strength bereft, 
Shall strive t' abolish it in vain. 

Need it, t' inspire us with the will 

To Do The Right ! whate'er befall : — 

To grant each just demand, until 
We render equal rights to all : — 



47 



Till Afric, free, indeed, from chains, 
Shall get full justice at our hands : 

Until the Chinaman attains 

The status that his worth demands : 

Until with fairness we shall treat 
The Indian of our Western plains ; 

And Themis finds her sway complete, 
And o'er our land untrammeled reigns. 

Need it, to teach us, each and all, 
.True Loyalty, that never dies ! 

That swiftly, at its country's call. 

From home and friends to danger flies — 

Such as our Civil War revealed, 
As many a record sad will show ! 
Which feared a dangerous post to yield. 
But never feared the bravest foe. 

Need it, whene'er we find the fire 

Of Patriotism growing dim ; 
Our hearts with holier zeal t' inspire, 

Our arms to nerve with steadier " vim ! " 

Need it, in fine, to help us feel 

That arms of flesh are naught but dust : 
That hearts, with sinews strong as steel, 

Must in the "God of Battles " trust : 



48 



That we, whose friends have gone before, 
Must walk by Faith, and not by sight ; 

And when tve reach that " Other Shore," 
" At CA-ening-time, it shall be light." 

For all these things — nor need I tell 
Of more — we need this Monument ; 

And, if we learn these lessons well, 
'Tis time and money wisely spent. 



IV. 

Let Easton, then, this shaft protect, 
And cherish it with jealous care ; 

And let it, once a 3'ear, be decked 

With Flags, and Flowers sweet and rare. 

And let her people gather then, 

And ponder well these names engraved : 
And hear the Story told again. 

Of those who once the Nation saved ! 

The Story — plaintive, long and drear! 

Conceived in Sin, and wrought in Pain ! 
With Hope so often dashed with Fear, 

A happy end seemed Avell-nigh vain ! 

The stor}' of intestine foes. 

Of Treason full, without alloy : 

Who boldly in Rebellion rose. 

And strove this Union to destroy ! 



49 



The stor}' of that primal Call 

For men, to crush those traitors base ; 

Which o'er the land fell like a pall ! 
Presaging woes, that came apace. 

The stor}' of th' " Uprising Great," 

Tliroiighout the North, the East, the West 

The mustering, at rapid rate, 

Of men, our bravest and our best. 

The story of their going forth 

To perish in the deadly strife ! 
Counting themselves as nothing worth, 

Compared with this great Nation's life. 

The story of the heartfelt prayers 

For husband, — brother, — son, or friend, 

That He who for the sparrow cares 
Would keep each safely to the end. 

The story of the clash of arms ! 

The shock ! the dying, and the dead ! 
Of homes disturbed with War's alarms ; 

Of hearts half paralyzed with dread ! 

The story of some sad defeat 

Which we were often called to bear. 

The charge ! the slaughter ! the retreat ! 
Which filled the bravest with despair! 



50 



The stor}- of the prison-pen, 

Where men a living death endured ! 

Compai'ed with which, in wild beast's den 
'Twere safer, far, to be immured. 

The story of the camp, where life 
Is poisoned with its noxious breath : 

Of picket-duty, ever rife 

With peril and ignoble death. 

The stor}' of the countless deeds 
Of kindness, done for soldier-boys ; 

Designed to meet their sorest needs. 
While reft of home and homel}' joys. 

The stor^' — would it were not true ! — 
Of covert traitors at the North ! 

And, had but simple justice due 

Been done them, they had been sent forth 

BeN'ond our lines, to doff disguise, 
And act, outright, a traitor's part ; 

Nor been allowed to jeopardize 

A Cause in which they had no heart ! 

The story of more calls for men, 
To fill the place of thousands slain : 

Of smitten households robbed again ! 

Of hearts that ached with quickened pain ! 



51 



The stoiy of some noble l)o\', 

Who marched away so stout and brave — 
Some "father's hope," some " mother's jo}'" 

To help, the Nation's life to save ! 

The story of his sad return ! 

Ah ! how unlike his going forth — 
The pall ! the bier ! the funeral urn ! 

The final parting ! " Earth to earth ! " 

The story of the slave, proclaimed 
A " freedman," and allowed the right, 

Than which none dearer can be named — 
For Liberty and Life to fight ! 

The stor3' of successes grand 

Which seconded that just Decree 

That banished Slaver}' from our land, 
And made this Nation truly " Free." 

The story of the braver}- shown 

By "Colored Troops" in battle sore — 

The courage, hitherto unknown, 
Which made them heroes evermore. 

The story of some lo^'al sire — 

One of " the unreturning brave ! " — 

Who, foremost, fell, in conflict dire, 
And slumbers in an unknown grave ! 



52 



The story of the orphans' tears ! 

Of childish hearts that sadl}' yearned, 
And waited weeks and months and years 

For him who never has returned ! 

The stor}' of the widow's woos, 

Which with her life so darkly blend ! 

The loneliness that no one knows, 

Save her who mourns her dearest friend ! 

The Story of Four Years of Strife ! 

Of Suffering and Sorrow vast ! 
Told of a Nation's Fight for Life ! 

Yet crowned with Victory at last ! 

The Mournful Story, which so long 

Gave little promise of release — 
With Right so often foiled with Wrong ! 

And yet — Thank God ! — its End was Peace ! 

And wlion this Stor}- shall be hoard 
Here at tliis Shrine, in coming years. 

By old and young, may ever3' word 
Find willing and attentive ears : — 

Let Age give tlianks, that it is spared 
To see such years, all free from strife : 

Let Manhood trust, — yet live prepared 
To keep, intact, this Nation's life : — 



53 



Let Youth, like Hannibal of old, 
Upon this altar promise true 

Allegiance, and, with courage bold. 
Resolve, when men, to Dare and Do I 

And thus this Monument will prove 
A Temple, meet for worship pure ; 

Whose incense, rising earth above, 
Will render choicest blessinas sure. 



Heaven guard it ! — and let no rude hand 
Deface or mar this sacred Shrine ; 

But, in its beaut}-, let it stand 

While suns unnumbered rise and shine. 

While Spring arraj's the fields in green ; 

While Summer lends her ruddy glow ; 
While Autumn spreads her mellow sheen ; 

While Winter robes the earth in snow ; — 

When gentl}' falls each vernal shower ; 

When clouds disperse, and skies are fair ; 
When sweetl}' blooms each modest flower, 

And warmth and fragrance fill the air ; — 

When yellow harvests wave around. 
And man, rejoiced, secures his fill ; 

When tokens of decay abound. 

And Nature's balmiest breath is chill ; — 



54 



By da}-, — bj' night, — in weal or woe ; 

When sun shall parch, or torrent pour; 
'Mid calm or storm, 'mid rain or snow ; 

When lightnings flush and thunders roar ! — 

Safe may it stand, whore three ways meet, 

To catch the traAeler's peering eye ; 
To check, betimes, his hurrying feet. 

And prompt him meeklj' to draw nigh, 

And read the names recorded here, 

Of those who once War's Havoc braved ! 

And offer thanks and praise sincere. 

For home, — and friends, — and Nation, — Saved. 

VI. 

We know that Time's unsparing hand 

Pulls down men's mightiest works at last : 

Of temples fine and cities grand 
Leaves naught, except a ruin vast. 

Yea, more — the places, e'en, where they 

Once builded, deathless fame to win, 
Are lost, while builders are, to-da}', 

The same as if they'd never been ! 

And so this Monument, so grand, — 

Of sterling granite, — wrought with Skill's 

Best talent, and designed to stand 
Firm as the everlasting hills, — 



OD 



The same sure destiny awaits ; 

And, long though it ma}' stand, it must, 
Like those whom it commemorates, 

Yet mingle with its kindred dust. 

And then? Ah ! tlien I seem to see. 
Embodied clear in Faith's pure light, 

A Nobler Nation, 3'et to be ! 

Lo^'al, and jealous of The Right ; 

And mindful of the fame of those 
Who, ^-ears ago, so young and brave, 

Subdued their Country's deadliest foes. 
And Died, a Nation's Life to Save ! 

And thus, when low this granite lies. 

This statue crumbles, as it must, 
Another, Phenix-like, shall rise. 

Triumphant, from its kindred dust ! 

And so, till Time his course shall close. 
When Soldiers rise to Endless Light, 

Green shall the Memory be of those 

Who Died for Country, — Truth, — and Right ! 



Music by Band. 



56 



Address, 

BY (.APT. NAHUM LEONARD, OF BRIDGEWAIER. 

We come, to-day, to pei'form a grateful duty 
to those heroic men whose lives were sacri- 
ficed in their country's defence. To all of us, 
whether citizens or soldiers, the occasion is 
one of mingled joy and sadness. 

Twenty years ago this usually quiet town 
of Easton was alive with tumult and excite- 
ment. The war, which some at first predicted 
would end in ninety days, had grown to gigan- 
tic proportions. Our armies at the South 
were reeling before a powerful foe, and the 
government had issued another call for men 
to fill their depleted ranks. The question 
"What shall be done?" passed hurriedly from 
mouth to moutli, while surprise and conster- 
nation pervaded every heart. But patriotism 



57 

was equal to the emergency and the quotas 
were filled without delay. 

Some of 3^our citizens had already joined 
the service, but it was then, I believe, that 
something like a genend enlistment took place, 
which carried to the front large numbers of 
your townsmen, in company with most of those 
whose names are now inscribed upon this 
shaft. 

We sometimes hear it said that, when the 
stoi'y of the rebellion grows dim with the 
lapse of time, the noble deeds and heroic 
struofo^les of our fallen comrades will fade 
away and be forgotten. Kather let us cherish 
the belief that " distance will lend enchant- 
ment" to their glory. If any one is led to 
exclaim that republics are ungrateful, let us 
remind him that seventeen years have elapsed 
since the rebellion closed, and yet, on each 
Memorial Day, what multitudes gather to- 
gether all over the land, to offer their annual 
tributes of gratitude, affection and respect for 
the " honored dead." 

The poet, the painter and the sculptor seem 



58 

to vie with each other to perpetuate their 
names. They live in song and story, they 
reappear on canvas; and this noble monument 
which we dedicate to-day alone gives ample 
and renewed assurance that they still live in 
the hearts of a grateful people. But while it 
is a tribute of gratitude and respect to them, 
it is also a memorial of the sacred cause for 
which they died. 

It was said by a great man, now departed, 
that " The human mind is composed, not of 
reason only, but of imagination also, and 
sentiment; and that is neither wasted nor 
misapplied, which is ajapropriated to the pur- 
pose of giving right direction to sentiment, 
and of opening proper springs of feeling in 
the heart." 

The sculptor does with the chisel what the 
painter does with the brush, and what the 
poet does with words. lie appeals to imagi- 
nation and sentiment — to the ideal and emo- 
tional elements of our nature. Thus, as we 
thoughtfully and reverently contemplate this 
work of art, what memories are awakened 



59 

of lofty patriotism, of patient suffering, of 
noble fortitude at home and in the field ! A 
thousand thrilling incidents of the great con- 
test crowd upon the recollection, and Ave 
seem to read hereon the whole story of the 
w^ar, — the causes which led to it, and the 
results which have grown out of it. 

And it will speak to future generations as 
well. Year by year, our children and our 
children's children wall come to this conse- 
crated spot and learn anew the principles of 
civil government, and the lessons of the civil 
war. 

Here they will be reminded of the perils 
through which their country passed, during 
the period of the rebellion, and of its triumph- 
ant deliverance from the evils which then 
assailed it. Here, too, their patriotism will 
be annually strengthened and renewed. 

A long procession of the actors in that 
great drama — soldiers, sailors, great com- 
manders, noble-hearted citizens, wise, far- 
seeing statesmen, w^ith Abraham Lincoln at 
the head — will pass in review before the 



60 



imagination, the study of whose characters 
will impart new force and beauty to these 
familiar words of the lamented Longfellow: — 

" Lives of great men all remind us 
We can make our lives sul)lime ; 
And, departing, leave behind us 
Footprints on the sands of time : — 

*' Footprints, that perhaps another 
Sailing o'er life's solemn main, 
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother. 
Seeing, shall take heart again. 

" Let us then be up and doing, 
With a heart for any fate. 
Still achieving, still pursuing. 
Learn to labor and to wait." 



Music by Band, 



61 



Address. 

BY CAPT. A. C. MUNROE, OF BROCKTON. 

Mr. President, Comrades of the Grand Army, Ladies and 
Gentlemen : — 

It gives me great pleasure to be with you 
at the dedication of your beautiful Soldiers' 
Monument. 

Marble, granite and bronze have in all ages 
borne the names of those who have died for 
their country. The orator of the day has 
told you of the heroic deeds of Reynolds, 
Farragut and others. Gen. John F. Rey- 
nolds was my old corps commander, and I 
knew him well. He fell, as the true soldier 
would fall^ in the uniform of his country at 
the post of duty. Frank, brave, generous, 
he won the love of his soldiers, whose grief 
wdll be as dear a tribute to his memory as 
the proudest chaplet fame can lay upon his 
grave. 

But I will tell you of another hero. At 
the battle of Yicksburg, the only survivor 



62 



of the color-guard of his reghiient held the 
flag aloft as he rushed forward. His colonel, 
while admiring his daring, said to his staff: 
"Must this boy go down? Must he sacrifice 
his life in this terrible battle?" He paused 
for a moment; then, riding forward, he called 
out, "Corporal, corporal! bring the colors 
back to the lines." The corporal spoke, and 
in his boyish words called back, " Colonel, 
hring the regiment up to the colors!'''' It was 
done, and the battle won. 

Friends, we often search in books for heroes. 
You need not do so. They are all about 
you here. The comrades of the Grand Army 
are too modest to tell you of their own deeds 
of bravery; but I doubt not that many of 
them could tell you of deeds of heroism that 
would match or rival any you can find in 
liistory. 

This day, friends, to the members of the 
Grand Army, is a holy day. Filled with sad 
memories, it is not for mere display, but has 
a higher and nobler purpose, in reminding 
us of the priceless ransom paid for the in- 



63 

tegrity of our republic and its institutions. 
It cost four hundred thousand loyal lives, 
and made three hundred thousand Union sol- 
diers and sailors crijDples for life, and left 
more than a million devoted mothers, widows, 
sisters and orphans to mourn for loved ones 
w^ho did not return. 

The comrades of the Gi-and Army will to- 
day seek out every soldier's grave in our 
State, hoAvever humble or secluded, and lay 
upon it the beautful flowers of spring, and 
plant above it the flag for whose honor he 
died, now the standard of a nation united 
and prosperous. As we stand beside these 
passionless mounds, there will arise vivid 
memories of the brave, generous ones wdio 
lie beneath them. We can almost feel the 
touch of elbows again, and hear the magic 
of their voices. Life to them was dear, the 
ties of home sacred, the hopes of the future 
bright; yet they gave up all for their country, 
knowing well the hardships to be endured, 
the perils to be encountered, and the pros- 
pects of life that would be blasted. 



64 

And yet the graves we decorate are but 
a few of the mighty host of the fallen. 
Legions rest on the battlefields of the South, 
in the glades of the forest, by the streams 
along which they fought, on the hills on 
which they bled; and our Memorial Day's 
sun will set upon their graves unvisited and 
undecorated, save by the wild-wood flower 
and untrained vine. 

Allow me to congratulate you upon the 
completion of your Soldiers' Monument. As 
the years go by, and you come here to lay 
your floral tribute, bring the children, that 
they may recall this record of patriotic de- 
votion. Your flowers will wither ; monu- 
ments will rust and granite crumble ; but 
their deeds are enduring, and their names, 
encircled with bright immortelles, are im- 
perishable. 



Benediction. 

May the blessing of God rest upon and abide 
with us forever. Amen. 



APPENDIX, 



[. Brief IIistokv ok "A. B. R.vndam, Post," No. 52, G. A. K. 
/ 

II. List of those whose Graves are Annually Decorated in 

Easton. 



Appendix, 



I. Tlie A. r,. rvandall Post, No. 52, G. A. K., of Ems- 
ton, was organized at Xortli Easton, March !), 18G'S. The 
chailer ineiubers were Dr. Geo. B. Cogswell, A. W. 
Thompson, R. H. Willis, N. R. Talbot, John A. Lynch, 
Wm. H. Willis, M. F. Williams, Wm. E. Bump, Jr., 
Chas. S. Packard and R. F. J. White. 

It was styled "A. B. Randall Post," in honor of the 
braA^e captain of that name, who, though enlisting at East 
Abington (now Rockland) , was born and brought up in 
Easton. He enlisted first in the nine months service and 
served his terra out, but found after being mustered out 
that he could not be contented at home. He changed his 
dentist's office to a recruiting office, and was soon at 
the front again. He received an injur}' at the battle of the 
Wilderness, came home, but was unwilling to wait for per- 
fect recovery, ;ind ere long was participating in the siege 
of Richmond. He was mortally wounded in the attack of 
Petersburg, being shot in the head (as was supposed) by 
a sharp-shooter, surviving the wound only five hours. He 
was rightly named Ansel, which means " An heroic de- 
fender." 

The headquarters of the Post was at North Easton until 
January, 187.S, when it was removed to South Easton, where 
it now remains, being at White's Hall. The following is 
the list of different Commanders: Jolni A. Lynch, John 
W. Allen, Thomas Bean, Oliver H. Bhiisdell, S. Herbert 



68 



Bates, Willard Lothrop, R. H. Willis, Wm. L. Chaffin, AVm. 
A. Linehan and Geo. A. Lackey, the present commander. 

Since the organization of the Post about fifteen hundred 
dollars ($l,oOO) has been expended for cliarit}-, and much 
excellent service has l)een thereby rendered. The present 
charity fund is two hundred and thirteen dollars and sixty- 
six cents ($213. 6G). To increase this fund there is usualh' 
held an annual fair iti February, and in the summer a 
strawberry festival. 

Ever since its organization the Post has attended to the 
decoration of the soldiers' graves on Memorial Day. Since 
1870, until this year, it has done this at its own expense. 

The term of service of the men l)elongnig to this Post is 
considera1)ly above the average. The average service of 
northern soldiers in the late war is reported as 16 months. 
The average service of members of this Post is 27 months. 
Ap[)ended is the list of the present members of the Post, 
in alphabetical order : 



Samuel D. Bartlett. 
Geo. N. Blanchard. 
Luther Blood. 
Wm. H. Bosworth. 
John Brown. 
George Burke. 
Dan. ^¥. Burrell. 
Dennis Callahan. 
James S. Card. 
Wm. L. Chaffln. 
Luther H. Clark. 
Geo. B. Cogswell. 
Wm. E. Cole. 
Wm. Crockett. 



Theodore Darling. 
]Marcus F. Delano. 
Patrick Dorgan. 
Geo. H. Drake. 
Dennison S. Drew. 
George Dunbar. 
Lucius Dunbar. 
P. W. Fecto. 
Cyrus A. Freeman. 
John A. Freeze. 
Bernard F. Galligan. 
Linus E. ria^ywai'd. 
Ellis R. Holbrook. 
Henry M. Holmes. 



69 



David Howard. 
Wm. H. Jennings. 
James H. Keenan. 
George A. Lackey. 
James K. Lashure. 
Wm. A. Linehan. 
Azel Lothrop. 
James Maekey. 
Charles Maguire. 
Thomas Mason. 
Sherman T. Merra. 
Charles T. Morse. 



Emory Packard. 
Alfred A, Roads. 
Chas. r. Simmons. 
Ansel Small, 
(leorge G. Smith. 
John Sweeney. 
N. H. Talbot. 
Luther C. Turner. 
Berlin White. 
Ezra G. Whittemore. 
C^^rus Willis. 
Rufus H. Willis. 



The present organization of the Post is as follows : 



Commander . 

S. V. Commander 

J. V. Commander 

Adjutant 

Quartermaster 

Surgeon 

Chaplain 

Officer of the Guard 

Officer of the Day 

Sergeant Major . 

Q. M. Sergeant . 



George A. Lackey. 
Ellis R. Holbrook. 
C^'rus A. Freeman. 
William H Bos worth. 
David Howard. 
Marcus F. Delano. 
William E. Cole. 
Theodore Darling. 
Linus E. Hay ward. 
George G. Smith. 
Charles Maguire. 



II. Since its organization, in ISOS, A. B. Randall Post 
has faithfully observed Memoi'ial Day. Its members, 
either in a body or by separate detachments, have strewn 
the graves of their fallen comrades with flowers, and, in 



70 



the larger cemeteries, have held appropriate services. 
This beautiful custom they propose to continue so long as 
the}' remain an organization. They will do this, however 
little public interest may be shown, and at their own ex- 
[)ense when necessary. It is their custom to decorate 
with a flag and with flowers the graves of all our soldiers. 
in whatever war they may have served their countr3\« But 
in the following list are recorded only the names of the 
soldiers of Eastonwho served in the war of the rebellion, 
and whose remains rest in our cemeteries. This list is for 
convenient reference. It is not a list of Easton's soldiers 
who died in or since that war, but only of tliose whose re- 
mains lie beneath our soil. 

At Joseph Totvn's yard. 
Frank Lambekt. 

At Washington HayvanV s yard. 
William A. Lothrop, II. Fuank Pool, 

Leander Ripley. 

At Asa E. Howard's yard. 
Edward Hudson, Franklin M. Godfrey. 

At Easton Furnace. 
Mason A. Hill, Wallace W. Smith, 

John Henry. 

At Easton Centre. 
Billings Fisher, Minot E. Phillips, 

Henry Reed, William M. Pack ai;d, 

John Phillips. 



71 



At Washhufton Street Cemetery. 
Jason M. Tinicham, Charles E. Ellison, 

OuKN S. Marshall, Job Raxdall, 

Calvin A, Marshall, John Mills. 

At Unity Church Cemetery. 
Anskl B. Kandall, William Hlpbukn, 

Jacob Randall. Gkorge McFakland. 

At the Catholic Cemetery. 

J(HIN FiTZ PA TRICK, EdWARD CoTTER, 

James Powers, James McEvoy, 

Michael McCool. David Middleton, 

Nicholas Murphy, Daniel McDonald, 

Edward Gallagher, John Connell, 

John Finnigan. 

At South Easion Cemetery. 

M. M. Williams, O. M. Phillips, 

Peleg F. Randall, A. Clifford, 

John Randall, John W. Mitchell, 

Tyler F. Clapp, Lieut. Linton Waldkon. 

Jackson Mitchell. George H. C. Davis, 

C. H Willis. Chas. A. Morse, 

Fdvvard E. Randall, Eleazar B. Cla^.kk. 

At Charles Keith's yard. 
Major Crockett. 

At J. Buck's yard. 

B. F. BOULDREY. 

At Thos. II. Dean's yard. 
Joseph Legro. 



H N '10 



EXERCISES 



HELD AT THE 



DEDICATION 



SOLDIERS' MONUMENT, 



MEMORIAL DAY, 1882. 



EASTON. MASS. 



WITH APPENDIX, 



EASTON 



Printed at the Office of the Easton Jonrnal. 
1882. 



s 



jf~. 



